


Dreams of William

by TheRainbowShakaBrah



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2019-01-23 07:08:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12501712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRainbowShakaBrah/pseuds/TheRainbowShakaBrah
Summary: Max and Chloe share an odd dream.





	Dreams of William

**Author's Note:**

> *Note: This was written before 'Before The Storm Episode 1' was released

"Chloe… Chloe are you listening?".

I blink, my eyes stinging from a bright blinking light that fogs my vision, "H- huh?".

"Heh, that's my girl, always dreaming".

I freeze, pausing in the mists of rubbing my eyes, "Dad?"

"Yes, sweetie. Tis' I, your dear father," William says in a warm, sweet, and very much alive voice.

I look up at him, completely dumbfounded.

_He… he's alive and I'm…_

I look down at myself and realize that… I'm just a kid. A tween… the age I was right around the time dad… died. I continue to look around me, finding that I'm back home… in Arcadia Bay, I mean.

"Are you okay, baby? You look a little pale,".

I swallow hard and nod, desperately trying to maintain my cool, "Yeah... I'm fine… I just, I- I love you so much".

Dad smiles and ruffles the top on my head when he passes by the table where I'm apparently sitting at, "I love you too, kiddo. Now do me a favor and go upstairs and check on, Max. She's been up there for a while now and I wanna talk to you two about something,".

I blink again, "Max?".

"Honey, are you sure you're alright? You're acting… odd" dad says, giving me a weird stare, "do you feel okay?".

I nod even though my mind is spinning like crazy and I have no fucking idea. "Yeah… sorry. Um… lady troubles," I say, which isn't exactly far from the truth.

Dad makes a face and smiles, "No need to tell me twice. Now chop, chop… go see if Max is okay".

"Okay," I mutter, sliding out of my chair. I rush up to dad and hug him tightly, whispering, "I love you" before running off upstairs, trying to hold back my tears.

 _How is this possible?_  I think to myself, wiping at my nose,  _I'm 14 again, Dad is alive and Max…_

"Max… are you okay?", I ask, knocking on the bathroom door, "Dad sent me up to check on you". There's no response, or any sign of her hearing me so I knock a little harder, "Max?". I grab the doorknob and wiggle it, finding it locked, "Dude, open up, you're freaking me out here!".

Finally, I hear a small cough from within the room and steps walk up to the door before the door in front of me. I push it open, nearly knocking Max down as she jumps out of the way.

"Dude, what the fuck took so l-...  _Oh shit,_ ". I watch as Max quickly closes the door after I enter, returning her hand to her heavily bleeding nose.

"Keep quiet," she mutters weakly, stumbling back to the corner of the room where she lowers herself down to the floor.

I rush up to her, sliding on my knees and taking her face in my hands, " _fuck…_  Max, your nose…".

"Y- yeah, n- no shit Sherlock,".

I grab one of the hand towels and force her to take it, "Dude, what the actual fuck is going on?! I'm… we're…  _William!_ ".

Max raises her hand up and shushes me, "I don't even know, man… but my head feels like it's going to explode".

I sigh and my forehead against hers, "Do you want me to get my dad?"

She shakes her head and grunts uncomfortably in pain, "N- no… This'll only freak him out".

I look at her sternly, "You… you didn't…  _go back_ , did you?".

"Geez, thanks for the trust, Che," Max says, pulling the towel away from her face for a second so I can see if her nose has stopped bleeding, which… it hasn't. "I promised I wouldn't go back, Chloe. I told you… I don't know what's happening".

"So… you're saying that we were magically transported back into our 13 and 14-year-old selves for no reason?".

She nods, "Pretty much".

I sigh, "Fuck".

"Stop cussing so much… and don't do anything stupid… I don't know if us being here is going to affect anything".

"So… what do we do now?".

"I'm not sure… but I guess we should make the most of our time we have with William".

"Okay… that sounds good. But what about you? You honestly look like shit".

"I- I'll be fine… just help me get cleaned up and downstairs. I've been MIA for too long anyway. I could hear you two talking" Max says, struggling to get to her feet.

"Slow down, Maximus… easy, easy," I say, pulling Max up the rest of the way. She falls heavily into me, barely able to hold up her own weight. "You okay?".

She nods, then shrugs, "I think… just give me a second".

"Do you remember anything from before you woke up like this?" I ask, brushing Max's once again long hair out of her eyes.

She shakes her head, "I was just…  _poof!_  Here. bloody nose and all".

"Are you  _sure_  you're alright… you're pale as all hell,".

"I know," Max says with a deep sigh, "I don't know how long this is going to last Chloe… we'd better get moving,".

I nod and grab another towel, running it under the tap and handing it to Max, "Here, clean your face and I'll go hide this in my laundry bin so Dad doesn't get freaked out".

"Huh, Chloe Price, doing her own laundry. This is a sight to see," Max teases, turning to the mirror and wiping at her face.

I smirk and stick my tongue out at her, "Haha. I did my own laundry at this age Max".

She raises an eyebrow, "Did you now? Well, in that case, I might just have to check your room".

I blush for some reason, "I… um, I'd rather you not".

She snickers,"That's what I thought. Now hurry up, I'm almost done here".

I nod and exit the bathroom, walking across the hall into my old room. It looks completely different from my the last time I remembered it. I have a few posters up from various bands and TV shows, some pirate gear hanging up on the wall. I smile warmly at these memories, feeling an odd sense of… closure. Anyways, I shove the bloody cloth deep down in my laundry bin and sigh, taking one last look at my room before returning to Max, who exits the bathroom just as I walk out. Our eyes meet and we both blush.

"Hey…".

"Hey".

 _She put her hair down,_ I think to myself, seeing Max's beautiful brown locks settle on her shoulders.

"Keep staring and you'll give  _yourself_  a nosebleed," Max says with an impish grin.

I blink and blush even more, "God, I'm gay".

"Pfft, shut up, we both are… kinda".

I shrug and take her hand, leading her to the stairs, "Come on, let's play our role and see if we can get back to the present".

Max nods and follows close as we go downstairs. It's weird thinking that we're going to become girlfriends in the future, we were so close as kids that we often acted like a couple. Hell, I think I even dared Max to kiss me more than once as a tween, she never did, at least, she never kissed me on the lips. She did give me cheek kisses though, and let me tell you, I didn't wash my face for weeks after the first kiss.

Anyways, we get downstairs and settle in front of the TV where our Video Game System is set up and game waiting to be played. We distract ourselves with that until I catch Dad watching us with a toothy grin.

 _Dad totally shipped us… hell,_ _ **I**_   _shipped us,_ I think to myself. "Oh, Max. Dad wanted to talk to us… is… is that okay?".

"Um… y- yeah. That's fine," she says in a nearly flawless impersonation of her anxious, shy 13-year-old self. Well, it actually isn't that much of an impersonation, Max's personality and nervous ticks have stayed the same as she aged.

William gives us a patient smile as he watches us sit across from him at the table. "Now I know all this must be  _very,_ _ **very**_  confusing for you two," He begins, "but I just want you to know that you're safe here".

Max and I both blink, giving him a dumbfounded, startled stare, "What?".

"Being here, I mean… seeing me".

I swallow hard and look over at Max, "So… you know that… we're not supposed to be here?".

William nods, "I know everything, Chloe. I know what you two went through over the next few years and I know what happened during that week, the choices that had to be made… etc,". He turns to Max who's gone nearly pale. "I know it must have been hard, and I'm so sorry you had to go through all that"

"No… d- don't be.  _I'm_  the one who should be sorry. Y- you didn't deserve to die twice," she mutters weakly, "You didn't deserve to find Chloe like that when I left the alternate timeline,".

"But you did all those things for love, Max," Dad says calmly, "You saved, Chloe from death  _so_  many times, and I can't thank you enough for that. But… you're not really here to apologize".

Max and I look up at him again, "So then, why are we here? and where is  _here?_ And how did we  _get_ here? ".

"Well,  _ **I**_  brought you here-".

"How?" Max asks, cutting into what Dad was saying.

"This…  _place_  is like a dream, activated by your powers, Max".

"So… that's why I had a nosebleed? Because I did this?".

William nods, "Sorry about that, it's just a side effect of your subconscious leaving the body,"

"So… Max and I are asleep?".

"In a sense… your bodies are safe on earth, but here you're minds are free to wander,".

"So we're invincible?".

Dad chuckles, "No sweetie,".

I snap my fingers, "Shit. I- I mean,  _shoot_ , sorry".

"It's okay, Chloe. You're still technically adult… even now,".

"So… why don't we look like adults", Max asks, looking down at her scrawny self, "This isn't exactly my favorite appearance".

"Would you prefer your current forms?".

"Will we be clothed?" I ask, earning a kick in the shins from Max, "Oww, hey! You know I sleep naked sometimes,".

She groans in embarrassment, "Ugh, don't remind me,".

William snickers awkwardly and smiles at us, "I'm glad you two finally realized your feelings. I was worried there for a while".

Max blushes and looks away, "So you know… Chloe and I are like…  _a thing_ , then… right?".

"Pfft, we've only been together for 4 years and you still consider us  _a thing,_ " I say with a fake scoff.

"Shut up, you," she says, failing to suppress a giggle.

William smiles and sighs, "I'm so glad you two are finally happy. After all you've been through, you truly deserve this".

"It's… it's been quite a journey" I say, absently brushing at my long hair. "I honestly can't take myself seriously like this… can you like… wave a wand and change me into my adult form?"

Dad nods and looks over at Max, "Do you want to change too?".

She nods.

"Very well. Now, both of you close your eyes".

We do as he says and, like magic, Dad snaps his fingers and I instantly feel different… mainly in the chest area.

I slowly open my eyes and see flecks of blue in my peripheral, "Aww, hella yes!". I smile giddily and realize I'm in a very familiar outfit. It's the one I wore on Monday of that crazy ass week. Max is in her trademark outfit too, and her hair has returned to it's normal (short) look.

"Okay," she says in a slightly more mature voice, "Now can you please explain why we're here?".

"I wanted to talk to you,"

"To talk?" I say, slightly unconvinced, "Huh, talk about what exactly?".

"Anything you want. I'm here for you. Both of you".

"Anything," I repeat, looking down at my tattooed arms. "I- I miss you," I say, my voice losing its edge, "I miss you every single day".

"I know my love. I miss you too,".

"Y- you left, and didn't come back".

"Chloe... " Max whispers, not putting up much of a fight.

"It's okay, Max. Let her tell me how she feels," William says, raising a hand up to quiet the brunette.

"Dad, I waited, and waited, and waited for you to come home, even though I knew you never would," I mutter, "I never forgot you, but mom… s- she up and replaced you with a man who would hurt me… call me a loser, and physically abuse me… and she didn't do shit about it,".

"I know, baby… and I'm so, so sorry that happened to you".

A small pang of nostalgia shoots through my chest when he calls me  _baby._  The reason I can't stand anyone else calling me that is because Dad's the only one who called me that.

"She blamed it on me, Dad. She said I… *gulp* deserved it".

"No," he says sternly, "Never for a second think that you deserve to be treated like that. You are a human being, Chloe. And yes, you may have acted out but that's no reason for this man to lay his hands on you. He may have been a war, and he may be adjusting to family life, but that is no excuse to hit someone".

I nod and sniffle a bit, feeling Max's hand close around mine.

"Your mother does love this man, Chloe. There's no denying that," William say, running his fingers through his greying strawberry blond hair, "And he has made an attempt to right things between the both of you, has he not?".

Max nods but keeps quiet, knowing I have more to say about David.

"I'm trying, Dad," I say, "I really am. I do forgive David for some stuff, but that doesn't make the hurt go away".

"I know, sweetie. I know," William says, reaching out to me, "But time does heal all wounds. I know for a fact that you two know that first-hand".

I nod and take his extended hand, "Yeah… it's been a…  _rough_  couple of years, but *sigh* we've made it through".

"Yeah," Max mutters softly, rubbing her thumb across my knuckles.

"I want you to know how proud I am of you, Chloe. You too, Max. Without you… my baby girl wouldn't be here right now".

A moment of silence flows between the three of us before, Dad lets out a long, sigh, "Chloe, there's someone else who'd like to speak with you, and… it's up to you if you'd like to see them".

I blink, slightly confused as to who the fuck else would want to talk to me. Dad avoids my gaze and Max completely pulls away from me. It takes a second for the realization to kick in and after that, I feel both like an idiot and an ass. "Oh…  _her,_ ".

Dad nods, "It's up to you…  _and_  Max".

I sigh, blowing a warm breath of air over my blue bangs, "Well, Max… whaddya say?".

Max hesitates to answer, genuinely unsure of what to say. "I don't know, Chloe… do I really have a say in this?".

"Uhh,  _yeah,_ Max, you do. You're my girlfriend and… if you don't want me to talk to her, then I won't,".

"Chloe… it's Rachel," she says softly.

"I know…".

"Then what's stopping you?".

"Max, it's  _Rachel_. The damn girl broke my heart, and look how long it took to recover from that!".

"Longer than I'd like to admit, Chloe, but… I think talking to her would be good for you. Tell her the things you can't necessarily tell me,".

I close my eyes and sigh shakily, uneasy rising in my chest, "O- okay. But… I need you to be with me. I can't do this alone".

"Okay… if that's what you want, I'll do it" Max says, regaining her confident smile.

I look back up at Dad and nod slightly, "Okay. I… I'm ready,".

He nods and sighs softly, "Alright, just, close your eyes and take a deep breath,".

I do as she says but stop midway, "Wait… does this mean I'm not going to see after this?".

"I'm afraid so, sweetie," William says with a saddened expression.

"Can… can I say goodbye?".

He nods and stands up, extending his arms out to me, "Of course".

I give him a small smile and rush into his arms again, this time, letting my tears fall, "I love you so much, dad".

Dad chuckles and kisses me softly on the head, "I know, and I love you too. And I'm always going to love you. I'm always going to be with, too".

I reluctant to pull away, sniffling a little, "I… I'll see you around, I guess,".

"Hmm, perhaps we'll meet again in your dreams… pleasant ones this time,".

I snicker a little and smile, "Yeah… that'd be nice".

Max takes my hand and tugs to me, "I don't know how much longer I can hold this, Chloe… I'm starting to get another headache,"

I pull away completely and take a step towards Max, sighing contently, "Okay... I'm ready".

Dad nods and gives me one last smile before once again instructing us to close our eyes.

Max and I both comply, and this time, when William snaps his fingers and the sounds of home are replaced with the familiar low rumble of a train and sweet singing birds... I know he's gone for good.

* * *

I let out a weak sigh and snuffle again, keeping my eyes shut.

"Chloe… look," Max mutters, tugging on my arm.

I open my eyes and see that we're sitting on the same red junker that I brought Max to the day she passed out all those years ago. "The junkyard," I mutter, subconsciously grabbing Max's hand, knowing that this place doesn't exactly hold the greatest memories for her.

"No," Max says pointing to something in front of us.

I blink, seeing a translucent doe standing a few feet in front of us, "R- Rachel?".

I response, the doe steps forward, walking even closer to us, pausing mere inches away. I swallow hard, slowly extending my hand out to the ghost doe, half expecting it to phase through the creature. But, when soft, warm fur registers under my shaking hand… I know this is real.

The doe takes a step back before beginning to glow brightly, causing both me and Max to shield our eyes. Once the light recedes and we both look up, I gasp, seeing the familiar blond focusing on me with hazel eyes.

I open my mouth to say something but, no words come out and I sit there like an idiot, staring at the doe girl.

Max is the one who reacts first, sliding of the car and marching right up to the slightly taller girl. "You… you're-" she begins, her words trailing off for a second.

"Rachel Amber, yes," the blond girl says, extending her hand out in a proper greeting "And you're Max".

Max nods and avoids the girl's hand like the plague, "Then you know I don't necessarily like you,".

"Max!" I hiss softly, getting up and standing beside the small brunette. She scoffs and turns away, returning to her spot on the car. Sighing, I look back at Rachel and muster up a half smile.

"Hi,"

"Hi,".

"It's… been awhile,".

"Yeah… it has," the doe girl says, keeping her voice soft and sweet.

"Are… are you okay?" I ask, then mentally kick myself for asking such a dumb question.  _The girl is dead, Chloe… dead for fuck's sake._

"Relatively speaking… yes, I'm okay. How about you?".

"I'm happy," I say, turning back to Max, " _We're_  happy,".

"Yes," Max quips suddenly, "Chloe and I are in a happy, loving,  _sexual_ relationship,".

"Max!" I say, feeling heat rising up on my face.

"Huh, no need to be jealous, Max. I'm not exactly real," Rachel says, giving me a small smile, "She's a keeper".

I nod but don't give her the satisfaction of a smile, "Yeah… she is,".

Finally, Rachel sighs, "Chloe… I'm sorry. You have to believe that".

"I don't know if I can trust you... Real or not,".

"Chloe… please, it's not like I'm the only one at fault here".

"No! Don't you dare fucking drag me into this!  **I**  didn't cheat on you,  **I**  didn't sleep around, and I sure as hell never lied to you!" I snap, letting my anger show.

"Well," Rachel says, my intensity not phasing her in the slightest, "At least I didn't settle for someone who I never truly loved".

 _Damn, shots fired,_  I think, feeling a physical pain shoot through my chest as I stumble back towards Max. "You don't… you can't…".

Max is at my side immediately, "Hey, just… lay off, okay? You have no clue what she's been through".

"Oh,  _ **I**_  don't know? Did you have to sit and listen while Chloe cried for you? Did you have to deal with the fact that she constantly tried to take her own life? Did you have her beg you to end her life?".

Max gasps lightly at that, most likely being reminded of the final choice she made for me in the alternate reality. She tenses up and swallows hard, shaking her head, blinking away tears.

"Hey, hey, It's okay… I'm okay," I say, holding her up by the shoulders, completely forgetting my current predicament. "Max look at me,".

Her gaze finally settles on me after takes quick sharp breaths in a desperate attempt to calm herself.

"It's okay," I whisper, pressing my forehead against hers, "Repeat that,".

Max sniffles and nods, taking a more relaxed breath, "I- It's… it's okay".

A few seconds pass and Max visibly relaxes, but she remains wary of Rachel.

I give the doe girl a stern look, "Max did, in fact, deal with all that shit, except I was crying over you. And she kept her feeling to herself, knowing that I still had feelings for you. Max deserves way more credit than she's given for that, she always,  _always_  puts others feelings ahead of her own! You can't fucking talk to her like that!".

Rachel seems, yet again, unaffected by my voice or protective rant. "Perhaps we're more alike than I thought, Max," she says, looking past me. Her hazel eyes focus on the small brunette who is huddled up on the car's hood, hugging her knees to her chest. "There's still quite a bit we don't know about each other's endeavors in Chloe's life, but I'm hoping we can look past that for right now. You said yourself… Chloe needs closure and I'm here to provide".

"I- I think you've done enough," Max mutters, giving the doe girl a cross stare.

"Max just… just don't," I say with a small sigh.

"Whatever you're going to say, say it," Rachel urges, "I can take it,".

I keep my eyes to the ground, feeling another round of emotions bubbling up. "Why Mark? Why Frank… why me? What did you possibly see in us… in me?".

"I needed to graduate, Chloe… by any means necessary, *sigh* Not that is really mattered in the end. Mark wasn't always a creep… well, okay, maybe that's a bit of the stretch, but come on!. If I ever wanted to make it anywhere, I was going to need working with a famous photographer on my resume".

"What about Frank huh, you use him to get drugs?" I ask with more anger than I intended.

"No… I did love Frank, Chloe…. As much as it pains you to admit. It was always my intent to leave with him,".

"Without me, you mean".

"Yes. You know you made it really for me to have my own life, Chloe. You needed constant companionship, someone to tell it was okay. You kinda forced that role on me Chloe and that really not fair,"

"But you stayed…" I point out.

"I stayed because I cared, Chloe, because you were my friend,".

"If I was really your friend you wouldn't have lies to me like you did".

The doe girls sighs heavily and shakes her head, "God, you're stubborn"

"Pfft, tell me about it," Max mumbles with a small laugh.

I turn around and stick my tongue out at her to which she simply laughs. Turning back to Rachel, I roll my eyes. "I really did love you, Rach… but… not exactly in the way that I thought. It's just…. You were the first person I felt a connection with since my dad died and Max left. You were my angel".

"And you were mine," She replies.

"You were there for me when no one else was… and maybe I took our relationship for granted… and for that I'm sorry".

"And I'm sorry too. It was never my intention to deliberately hurt you, Chloe. You have to believe that".

I look up and stare at the doe girl's piercing green eyes and sigh, "I do… I believe you".

Rachel lets out a small relieved sigh, "I'm glad. Can… can we hug on it?".

I shoot Max a quick look, seeing as she nods in approval. "Go for it, dude".

Rachel smiles again and walks up to me, embracing me in a tight, loving grip that I try to reciprocate.

"Enough of this mushy shit. It was great seeing you and all but I  _seriously_  think we should get moving, Che," Max mumbles with a nasally voice, making me realize her nose has begun bleeding again.

"Shit," I say, pulling away from Rachel and rushing up to Max, "Hold on for a bit longer while I figure out a way to blow this pop stand".

She nods and sighs weakly, "Make it fast"

"Uh… you got any clue on how to get out of here?" I ask, peering back at the doe girl.

"This is a dream so… I don't know, think your way out?".

I roll my eyes, "Thanks, that was very helpful,".

"I'm serious. Just… wish yourselves home".

"D- do we need red ruby slippers too?" Max asks sarcastically, getting me to laugh.

"Nerd".

"Dork,".

Rachel rolls her eyes in annoyance, "You two done yet?"

Max and I snicker before closing our eyes, "Alright… we're ready".

"Good… now, just relax… think of home, of something you love".

I nod, my mind immediately going to Max, since, after all, she is my home. I think of her smile and her laugh greeting me each morning when I wake up. I think of when we kiss and how when we kiss I feel like I'm on drugs. I think of how much she means to me, and how she taught me to value my own life. The only reason I'm here on earth is that of her, I literally owe her my life.

* * *

I hum dumbly at myself, shifting around as I subconsciously feel my environment changing.

I feel soft sheets on my skin and a small warm breath on the back of my neck. "Max?" I whisper, feeling her clinging to my body.

"Hmm?" she mutters groggily.

"Did… did you just have a trippy ass dream?".

"I've had trippier, to be honest," she says, sniffling a little.

"So you remember?".

"I don't see how I can forget".

I roll over and face Max, seeing her pale-looking complexion, "You okay?".

She nods and blinks slowly, "Define  _okay_ ,".

I snicker, "You know what I mean, Max. You're head, nose all that jazz".

"My head's killing me and I can feel dry blood in my nose, so you're most likely going to want to take a shower".

I shutter uncomfortably, "Eww".

"Hmm. So… what about you?".

"What about me?",

"I know that wasn't exactly the craziest thing we've ever done but it is, in fact, the weirdest and most random. Talking to dead people isn't exactly something that's well handled," Max says as if speaking from experience.

"What'd I say before.  _Crazy is the new normal for me_ , but I get where you're coming from and… I don't know. It felt good seeing dad again and working things out with Rach… I feel…  _lighter_ ".

Max hums in response, "Good…" she nuzzles up against me again, pressing her head into my bare chest, "I love you".

I smile and kiss the top of her shaggy brown hair, "Me too, Max… forever".


End file.
